Good Karma is known as Kushala Karma, which are wholesome actions that are performed without desire to hurt or harm and that are beneficial to others around you. Wisdom, kindness, compassion are all shared with everyone no matter what religion they belong to or what their nature is and is not driven by the desire to accumulate Kushala Karma simply because you know it will result in good Karma for yourself. In Buddhism the ultimate aim may be to achieve enlightenment but not at the expense of others or simply by trying to benefit Kushala Karma for yourself. This otherwise, becomes a mechanical process, just like writing this essay. I have to write this essay because I have a deadline to meet and so I am going through the process of completing it, however if I were to write this essay because I simply wanted to, then that would be of my own free will. One must have absolute faith in the wisdom and compassion they share, they must believe they are doing good for the world, not just for their own benefit otherwise this results in Akushala Karma. Akushala Karma is bad Karma where your actions deliberately hurt others and causes Dukkha (suffering) to others around you. Karma is not an explanation for everything that occurs to a person throughout their life but for philosophers it does provide an answer in some ways to why people and nature act and react they way they do and why such inequalities exist. Some actions result in neutral Karma. Breathing, walking, talking are all actions but if you don’t harm an animal while walking or speak harshly of others then this results in neutral Karma which does not affect you or anyone else.
It is a widely held belief that Karma is the source of natural human talent. Someone maybe naturally good at a sport or in a topic in academic studies and it is through the karmic tendencies that have been inherited through their previous lives that result in a natural ability that emerges. One prime example is the Buddha himself. He inherited like everyone else the reproductive cells and genes of his mother (given the way she conceived) but his physical and mental attributes were that of accumulated Karma as he himself stated that he belonged to the Aryan Buddha lineage and not of the Royal lineage of his parents. Buddha was a creation of his own accumulated Karma from his previous lives. It is also stated that Buddha inherited 32 physical features that were a sign of his past meritorious deeds.
Buddhists like to use nature as an example to explain their doctrines and concepts. Karma in association with nature can be explained using the seed, the tree and the fruit. Karma in essence is the potential seed. That seed will grow according to the choices you make regarding you actions. That tree will bear its fruit, the Karmic Phala and the taste of the fruit is the Vipanka, the reaction to your action. The fruit, the (Karmic) Phala may either taste sweet or the tree may bear unripened fruit. If the nature of yourself is to have a negative outlook on life, desire to harm others intentionally and to benefit only yourself and no one else the tree’s trunk and branches will be weak and grow crooked as this reflects your nature as its roots are placed in the Akushala Karma. Yet the tree that has a healthy trunk and branches because you have a positive outlook on life and share compassion and kindness to others around you and its roots are grounded in the Kushala Karma.
The fruits of our actions will inevitably affect the individual in many ways here on earth or which could either send you to heaven or hell. The belief in heaven and hell is essential and is a natural part of the Samsara and understanding the concept of karma further. There are six regions of heaven and hell, three that are linked to heaven and three in hell. In heaven you are either a god having achieved nirvana, as a human on earth, or as a titan in constant battle. In hell you either take form of a ghost neither in hell nor on earth, as an animal or in plain and simple hell where you could be subject to pains that you inflicted on people on earth constantly. Akushala Karma will result in rebirth in the lower regions of hell where you take form of animals or ghosts who are constantly hungry because of their desire that took over their life on earth as a human. For example gluttony, as a human you may’ve eaten more than you needed to and not shared, denying others around you of food and this ultimately causes Dukkha. This would mean that you are in a hell of constant gluttony but unable to eat because your mouth is sealed. If the fruits of your Karma are not sufficient enough to being condemned to hell then rebirth on earth as a human will result in a life of unhappiness. For example if you killed someone in your previous life and it was a not a habitual part of your nature then you may be separated from a loved one early on in life.
To escape the Dukkha of Rebirth we must unhook ourselves from the Samsara. Karma is the chain that binds us to Samsara. The debts of our Akushala bind us to the wheel of Samsara. Enjoying the Kushala karma binds us to Samsara, as it means that we are drawn to the delight of our own merits. The merits of heaven will be spent and bring us rebirth in the lower worlds. Only when we live for the benefit of all living beings, without any intentions of self, can we break the chain of karma and find liberation.
Karma as I’ve hopefully explained is a dynamic concept. Even if you exist in hell you will join the Samsara again. No one is safe from the Samsara except those who achieve enlightenment and from there no one knows where one goes. Others who do not achieve the ultimate goal will always be chained to the Samsara through their Karma be it Kushala or Akushala. It is not fatalistic in the sense that god or fate predetermines everything before you are reborn but karma does determine some aspects of your life. For instance what type of family you will be born into, whether or not you will be ill or healthy, poor or rich, face constant misery or relative happiness, but that is because of our previous Karma that has not been experienced. Karma in essence is the Cause and Effect. Every action has a similar reaction. A good action results in a good reaction and vice versa. It is important to accept that the concept of Reincarnation is as normal as believing that god exists. This is where the West has trouble understanding and explaining Karma.
Buddhists believe that we can control the nature of our lives. Buddhists understand that they are not able to change their past actions or the actions of others, or prevent its results, but they are in control of the way they re-act upon them. The Buddha teaches that studying the nature of our actions (before, during and after we act) can help us discern what is helpful and what is a hindrance upon the path to escape the Dukkha of birth death and rebirth. Adapting to the Noble Eightfold Path and adopting a selfless way of life can help us overcome our desires, common to our human nature. By eliminating our selfishness and becoming totally selfless we can conquer our lives by escaping rebirth and starting the Samsara all over again and achieve nirvana.
Bibliography
Way of Hinduism Stephen Cross Thorsons 1994
Hinduism A short History Klaus K. Klostermaier Onesworld Publication 2000
Buddhism A Short History Edward Conze Onesworld Publication 2000
Essential Buddhism Jack Maguire Pocket Books 2001
Buddhism the eBook Damien Keown 2004
Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction Damien Keown Oxford Paperbacks 2000
The Wisdom of Buddha Citadel Press 1968
The Wisdom of Buddha Citadel Press 1968
Buddhism the eBook pg. 58
Buddhism A Short History Edward Conze Onesworld Publication 2000
